Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here: Poets and Writers Respond to the March 5th, 2007, Bombing of Baghdad's "Street of the Booksellers"

by Beau Beausoleil (Editor), Deema Shehabi (Editor)

On March 5th, 2007, a car bomb was exploded on al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad. More than thirty people were killed and more than one hundred were wounded. This locale is the historic center of Baghdad bookselling, a winding street filled with bookstores and outdoor book stalls. Named after the famed 10th century classical Arab poet al-Mutanabbi, it has been the heart and soul of the Baghdad literary and intellectual community. This anthology begins with a historical introduction to al-Mutanabbi Street and includes the writing of Iraqis as well as a wide swath of international poets and writers who were outraged by this attack. This book seeks to show where al-Mutanabbi Street starts in all of personally, in our communities, and in our nations. It seeks to show the commonality between this small street in Baghdad and our own cultural centers, and why this attack was an attack on us all. This anthology sees al-Mutanabbi Street as a place for the free exchange of ideas; a place that has long offered its sanctuary to the complete spectrum of Iraqi voices. This is where the roots of democracy (in the best sense of that word) took hold many hundreds of years ago. This anthology looks toward al-Mutanabbi Street as an affirmation of all that we hope for in a more just society. Contributors Beau Beausoleil, Musa al-Musawi, Anthony Shadid, Mousa al-Naseri, Naomi Shihab Nye, Deena Metzger, Sam Hamod, Lutfiya Al-Dulaimi, Zaid Shlah, Persis Karim, Ayub Nuri, Marian Haddad, Sarah Browning, Eileen Grace O’Malley Callahan, Roger Sederat, Elline Lipkin, Esther Kamkar, Robert Perry, Gloria Collins, Brian Turner, Gloria Frym, Owen Hill, Abd al-Rahim, Salih al-Rahim, Yassin “The Narcicyst” Alsalman, Jose Luis Gutierrez, Sargon Boulus, Peter Money, Sinan Antoon, Muhammad al-Hamrani, Livia Soto, Janet Sternburg, Sam Hamill, Salah Al-Hamdani, Gail Sher, Dunya Mikhail, Irada Al Jabbouri, Dilara Cirit, Niamh MacFionnlaoich, Erica Goss, Daisy Zamora, George Evans, Steve Dickison, Maysoon Pachachi, Summer Brenner, Jen Hofer, Rijin Sahakian, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, Jane Hirshfield, Jack Marshall, Susan Moon, Diana di Prima, Evelyn So, Nahrain Al-Mousawi, Ko Un, Joe Lamb, Katrina Rodabaugh, Mohammed Hayawi, Nazik Al-Malaika, Raya Asee, Gazar Hantoosh, Mark Abley, Majid Naficy, Lewis Buzbee, Ibn al-Utri, Thomas Christensen, Amy Gerstler, Genny Lim, Saadi Youssef, Judith Lyn Suttton, Josh Kun, Dana Teen Lomax, Etel Adnan, Bushra Al-Bustani, Marilyn Hacker, Richard Harrison, Fady Joudah, Philip Metres, Hayan Charara, Annie Finch, Kazim Ali, Deema K. Shehabi, Kenneth Wong, Elmaz Abinader, Habib Tengour, Khaled Mattawa, Rachida Madani, Amina Said, Alise Alousi, Sita Carboni, Fran Bourassa, Jabez W. Churchill, Daniela Elza, Linda Norton, Fred Norman, Bonnie Nish, Janet Rodney, Adrienne Rich, Cornelius Eady, Julie Bruck, Kwame Dawes, Ralph Angel, B.H. Fairchild, Terese Svoboda, Mahmoud Darwish, Amir el-Chidiac, Aram Saroyan, Sholeh Wolpe, Nathalie Handal, Azar Nafisi, Dima Hilal, Tony Kranz, Jordan Elgrably, devorah major, Suzy Malcolm, Ibrahim Nasrallah, Rick London, Sarah Menefee, Roberto Harrison, Fadhil Al-Azzawi, Amaranth Borsuk, Lamees Al-Ethari, Shayma’ al-Saqr, Meena Alexander, and Jim Natal.

Genres: Poetry

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Abeer Abdullah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful anthology packed with varied voices, middle eastern (living in, or of origins) (Iraqi and non iraqi) American, European, East, south, west Asian, Latin american and so on, very different perspectives, written for or chosen for, the topic of the 2007 bombing of Al Mutanabi street, the historic street known for selling books and it's cultural cafes.
It was wonderful for many reasons, one of which is the before mentioned variety of voices all sharing the in common point of literature as an agent of saving, and literature as a target as a result, a very powerful thing promoting such different ideas (as the booksellers in Al Mutanabi often do, selling marx and ayatollah side by side) could spark up fear and hatred in the resident extremists in war torn iraq, and it did. This attack symbolised a lot of things, the attack on the ancient culture and tradition of literature and poetry in the area, and a symbol of the general state of the middle east in regards of the liberty to speak. As a middle easterner it was very difficult for me to read, having grown up sort of trying to forget my origins and culture and adopt someone else's, coming to terms with who I am is very difficult when facing what who I am means.
Another incredible thing in this anthology is the quality of poetry and the quality of translation, if youre interested in arabic poetry and have a hard time finding good translations, this book is for you, the poems here are gorgeous and exquisite and well written and well translated!
over all it was wonderful of Beausoleil to turn tragedy into an extremely human act, and 'War Poetry' as we call it is an ancient middle eastern tradition of documenting one's lamentations and mourn.

[Mark E. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that deserves all the stars in the sky. A book written by writers, poets, publishers, readers, and lovers of books, in a world of barbarian book-burners and book-bombers. A sign, in an uncaring universe, that there are those who care. More than a work of art or literature, this is a work of love. For books and for all who love books, Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here.

[World Literature Today]

"This anthology is recommended, not only for its literary merits, but also for its testimony." - Issa J. Boullata, Montréal

This book was reviewed in the September 2013 issue of World Literature Today. Read the full review by visiting our website: http://bit.ly/18R7UOG

[Aya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great anthology, which might be painful to read at times, but definitely worth it.